The healthcare industry has significantly improved over the past decade due to technological advancements (Bhatia, 2021). Healthcare organizations can now quickly and efficiently process large amounts of data. Likewise, with the availability of HIPAA-compliant software development, hospitals across the country can now keep their patients’ confidential data in a secure system. An extensively utilized software by most hospitals for this role in the US is referred to as Epic Systems. In the dynamic healthcare environment, an institution’s agility to change is vital for its survival. However, not all organizational staff react equally to proposed changes in their workplaces. Cheraghi et al. (2023) state that while some staff openly welcome changes since they view them as a chance for learning and growth, others are opposed to changes and display feelings of sadness, frustration, and alienation. At my current healthcare organization, I recently witnessed a change with the adoption of the EPIC system. This paper will discuss how to overcome anticipated resistance to the implementation of the new EPIC system using appropriate collaboration, incentives, communication, delegation, fiscal planning, and conflict management.
Our healthcare organization’s mission is to provide safe, high-quality patient care by nurturing a safe healthcare setting and emphasizing safety, precautions, and our patients’ welfare. To achieve these goals, we strive to lessen readmission rates, diminish medical errors, and educate our clients on how to live a healthy lifestyle. Hence, quality, safety, and patient satisfaction are critical to our organization. In 2023, our hospital management began an enterprise-wide advancement of our Epic software, enabling all the organization’s healthcare staff access to ultra-modern technology. Thus promising the delivery of improved and world-class patient experience. This EHR transformation project’s key objective is to ensure that all our patients receive equal, high-quality care, irrespective of where they obtain care. Before the implementation of this new EPIC system, the project’s interprofessional team, comprising of nurse informatics and nurse leaders, conducted sensitization and educational sessions to facilitate the transition. To overcome any resistance, the team focused on increasing staff engagement, enhancing communication, and applying effective leadership skills (Cheraghi et al., 2023). For example, a champion nurse from each unit was selected, and they received prior training. Their role is to educate and guide their colleagues and other healthcare staff to improve their opinions about this new system.
A common challenge in the healthcare sector when implementing a new technology system is the initial error rate. Usually, a new system needs iteration before it can become adequately reliable. The iterative phase can be challenging, potentially leading to flawed predictions and wrong recommendations. Hence, clinicians and technologists must closely work together when rolling out new technology. This has been the case when switching over to the new EPIC, although a substantial amount of data has been lost in the transition process. The word “ADKAR” represents five outcomes individuals need to attain for successful change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. This model is founded on the recognition that organizational change can only occur when individuals change. Hence, it guides individuals through a particular change, including addressing potential barriers along the way. It also equips leaders with the right tools and approaches. Moreover, by highlighting successful change goals and outcomes, the framework enables change management teams and leaders to focus their energy on activities that will promote individual change and thus attain organizational results.
All five elements of the ADKAR Model were present in our organization when implementing the new EPIC system. However, apart from the mentioned elements in the model, incentive is also a key facilitator of change (Wang et al., 2023). Referring back to our class notes, we noted that individuals’ resistance to change is determined by their flexibility to change, assessment of the immediate situation, expected change consequences, and individuals’ perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of the proposed change. The expected incentives significantly impact successful capacity advancement initiatives since positive change can only be sustained where enhanced performance is promoted and rewarded (Wang et al., 2023). During the implementation of this new EPIC system, our healthcare organization considered incentives to be provided by this improved system at the individual, internal, and external levels.
Likewise, to ensure that all employees are on board with the ongoing system upgrade, nurse informatics has taken a leading role in elaborating the change justifications to any interested stakeholder. Consequently, the guiding team has taken it upon themselves to assist other staff with day-to-day issues experienced by the use of this new system and to offer timely technical assistance. Additionally, there is a straightforward procedure in place for any staff or concerned stakeholders who have divergent views about this new system, including the guidelines to be observed in the conflict management process. According to Gunasingha et al. (2023), conflict is inevitable in the healthcare sector. Hence, conflict management is vital since it nurtures a positive work setting, enhances communication, and boosts productivity. Moreover, conflict management is not about desisting from conflicts but instead constructively dealing with them. Our conflict management approach has significantly aided in resolving disputes and avoiding potential conflicts that might have impaired our transition.
In conclusion, EHR implementation is more than technology application. When successful, it leads to transformed systems, workflows, and processes of practice. Throughout this paper, I have presented principles of change management that can be utilized in a healthcare organization when planning, implementing, and assessing a practice’s change initiatives. These include having a clear vision of your practice’s future, communicating to staff the need for change, developing a credible guiding team, and educating all stakeholders about how the new system will impact them. Moreover, practice leaders must recognize their role of persuading their subordinate staff to adopt a change initiative, including helping other employees reach a favorable decision to embrace and support the change.
References
Bhatia, R. (2021). Emerging Health Technologies and how they can transform healthcare delivery. Journal of Health Management, 23(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063421995025
Cheraghi, R., Ebrahimi, H., Kheibar, N., & Sahebihagh, M. H. (2023). Reasons for resistance to change in nursing: An integrative review. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01460-0
Gunasingha, R. M., Lee, H.-J., Zhao, C., & Clay, A. (2023). Conflict resolution styles and skills and variation among medical students. BMC Medical Education, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04228-x
Wang, L., Zhang, D., Liu, J., Tang, Y., Zhou, Q., Lai, X., Zheng, F., Wang, Q., Zhang, X., & Cheng, J. (2023). The mediating role of incentives in association between leadership attention and self-perceived continuous improvement in infection prevention and Control Among Medical Staff: A cross-sectional survey. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.984847
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